Iowa State University first offered chemical engineering courses in 1909. The Department of Mining Engineering, Ceramics, and Chemical Engineering was established in 1913. The Department of Chemical Engineering became a separate department in 1920 and under went numerous name changes over the years, which include the Department of Chemical Engineering (1920-1928, 1956-1973, 1978-2005), Department of Chemical and Mining Engineering (1928-1956), Department of Chemical and Nuclear Engineering (1973-1978), and Department of Chemical and Biological Engineering (2005-present).